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Keywords

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Clothing and dress; Mormons; Sex--Religious aspects

Abstract

In the United States, clothing is seen as the expression of the person who is wearing it, and people have almost unlimited options for what to put on their body. Compared to early-twentieth-century standards, American culture now seems to allow most adults to dress much more provocatively because of the idea of individual freedom. One group that is openly fighting against the lack of standardized dress is the Latter-day Saints (the Mormon Church). Among the standards that the LDS Church has set for its members is that they are mandated to wear sacred undergarments. These clothing standards are set up to ensure that Mormons remain sexually chaste, both men and women, until they are married and sealed in the temple. These clothing standards are intended to remove any form of sexuality to the bedroom and limit it to private interactions between a husband and a wife. However, while clothing standards are established for both men and women, it is clear that the standards are stricter for women. These standards are harsher for women because the focus is on women’s bodies. Women control the sexual standards for both men and women of the church, so women’s bodies need to be covered up in order to protect the LDS society.

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